View source for Frank Costa

{{Short description|Australian businessman and philanthropist (1938–2021)}}
{{About||the football player|Frank Costa (American football)|the American radio broadcaster and politician|Frank N. Costa|the American guitarist|Animosity (band)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox person 
| name = Frank Costa
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO|size=100}}
| image = 
| alt =  
| caption = 
| birth_name = Francis Aloysius Costa
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1938|2|3}}
| birth_place = [[Geelong]], Victoria, Australia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2021|5|2|1938|2|3}}
| death_place = Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| nationality = [[Australians|Australia]]
| other_names = 
| occupation = Entrepreneur and [[philanthropist]]
| years_active = 
| known_for = {{ubl|[[Costa Group]]|President of [[Geelong Football Club]]}}
| notable_works = 
| spouse = {{marriage|Shriley Costa|1960}}
| mother = Mary Piccone
| father = Tony Costa
| children = 8 daughters<ref name="bows out"/>
| awards = {{ubl|{{nowrap|[[Order of Australia|Officer of the Order of Australia]] (AO)}}|[[Order of Australia|Order of Australia Medal]] (OAM)|[[Australian Sports Medal]] (2001)|[[Centenary Medal]] (2001)}}
}}

'''Frank Aloysius Costa''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AO}} (3 February 1938 – 2 May 2021<ref>[https://www.mytributes.com.au/notice/death-notices/costa-frank/5693939/ Death Notice, Geelong Football Club]</ref>) was an Australian businessman. Costa had been a prominent figure in the Geelong region for more than four decades after inheriting Costa Group, the family's produce business, in the late 1950s. Initially privately held, the Costa Group became the largest service [[wholesale]]r of fruit and vegetables in Australia with operations in five states. In 2015 the company was [[Initial public offering|floated]] on the [[Australian Securities Exchange]] as [[Costa Group|Costa Group Holdings Limited]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2015-07-23/costa-announces-share-price-$2.25/6643142 |title=Fruit and vegetable giant Costa announces $2.25 share price ahead of ASX float |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |location=Australia |date=24 July 2015 |access-date=13 November 2020 }}</ref>

In 1998, Frank Costa became president of the [[Geelong Football Club]].

==Career==
Costa was the eldest of five sons born to [[Sicily|Sicilian]] immigrants who moved to Australia in the 1880s.<ref name="bows out"/> His great-uncle established the Geelong Covent Garden in 1888 – a produce grocery which he ran until the 1920s, at which time he turned it over to Costa's father.<ref name="bows out"/>

When Costa was 21, he (along with his brother Adrian) convinced his father to sell the business to them. Costa successfully grew the business with help from his brother, as they made forays into [[wholesaling]]. Although Adrian died in 1972 as a result of an automobile accident, and there were a few business blunders{{weasel inline|date=November 2020}} along the way – including the failed development of a state-of-the-art warehouse in Geelong<ref>Tobin, Des (2007). Family, Faith and Footy. </ref>– the remaining Costa brothers were able to keep the business afloat. By the 1980s, the company had an annual [[Revenue|turnover]] of around {{AUD}}100&nbsp;million. In the early 1990s, Costa's wholseale fruit operation was compelled to co-operate with the [[Melbourne underworld]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Moor, Keith |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/geelong-boss-frank-costas-mafia-fight/news-story/f724d4609e785369c2b62d0a0127d49d?sv=600dddd6078a896d11ec735dff6ba6e8 |title=Geelong boss Frank Costa's mafia fight |work=[[Herald-Sun]] |location=Melbourne |date=17 March 2010 |access-date=13 November 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Silvester, John |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/frank-costa-is-waiting-for-an-offer-too-good-to-refuse-20150311-141bdw.html |title=Frank Costa is waiting for an offer too good to refuse |work=[[The Age]] |date=11 March 2015 |access-date=13 November 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Connaughton, Maddison |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-brief-and-terrible-history-of-the-honourable-society-australias-calabrian-mafia/ |title=Murder, Extortion, and Gelato: a History of the Calabrian Mafia in Australia |work=VICE Australia |date=20 March 2016 |access-date=13 November 2020 }}</ref> In 2004, Costa appointed [[Simon J. Costa|Simon Costa]], his nephew, as CEO of the Costa Group of Companies,<ref>Tobin, Des (2007). Family, Faith and Footy. Page 102</ref> enabling Costa to concentrate on philanthropic activities and the Presidency of the Geelong Football Club. At the time, the company had 800 employees, and a turnover in excess of {{AUD}}800&nbsp;million. The Costa Group of Companies was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in July 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/3244762/costa-group-float-raises-551-million |title=Costa group float raises $551 million |date=30 July 2015 |work=The Armidale Express |access-date=28 May 2021 }}</ref> In 2019 Costa stepped down from the board of the publicly listed Costa Group.<ref>{{cite news |author=Dunkley, Mathew |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/frank-costa-to-step-down-from-costa-group-board-20190705-p524gf.html |title=Frank Costa to step down from Costa Group board
 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=5 July 2019 |access-date=13 November 2020 }}</ref>

===Political scandals===
His push for the recycling/irrigation plant is one of many events has caused some to raise [[conflict of interest]] concerns, as his company may have been in a position to obtain a substantial benefit from the project.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} In addition to being a Committee for Geelong board member and being president of the Geelong Football Club, Costa was involved in some of the most prominent development projects being touted for the region. These include the development in North Geelong near the Ford site and at Point Richards near [[Portarlington, Victoria|Portarlington]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} In 2006 it was revealed that Costa was part of a group of powerful business leaders who had made political campaign donations that were not disclosed by the candidates.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/king-cat-the-millionaire-who-helps-shape-geelong-20060128-ge1nfr.html |title=King Cat: the millionaire who helps shape Geelong |work=[[The Age]] |date=28 January 2006 |access-date=13 November 2020 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Costa married Shirley in 1960 and they had eight daughters.<ref name="bows out">{{cite news |author=Kohler, Alan |author-link=Alan Kohler |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/business-spectator/news-story/frank-costa-bows-out/a9dee34d95366573668e86dad10c79bb |title=Frank Costa bows out |work=[[The Australian]] |date=29 May 2014 |access-date=28 May 2021 }}</ref> He died from cancer on 2 May 2021, aged 83.<ref name="death"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Geelong Cats mourn the loss of former president Frank Costa|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/606061/geelong-cats-mourn-the-death-of-former-president-frank-costa|access-date=2021-05-02|website=afl.com.au|language=en}}</ref>

Costa is the subject of a 2006 biography, with a foreword by eminent historian [[Geoffrey Blainey]], and contains references to Geelong identities, the Geelong Football Club, and Italian immigrants in Geelong.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Tobin, Des |author2=Blainey, Geoffrey |author-link2=Geoffrey Blainey |publication-date=2006 |title=Frank Costa. Family, Faith and Footy |publisher=Killaghy Publishing |location=Malvern, Victoria }}</ref>

===Honours===
In 1997, Costa was awarded the [[Medal of the Order of Australia]] for service to youth and to the community of Geelong.<ref>{{Cite It's an Honour |ausawardid=875111 |date=9 June 1997 |recipient=Mr Francis Aloysius COSTA |award=Medal of the Order of Australia |postnominal=OAM |citation=FOR SERVICE YOUTH AND TO THE COMMUNITY OF GEELONG |postscript= |accessdate=26 January 2015 }}</ref> [[2015 Australia Day Honours|In 2015]], Costa was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of Australia]] for distinguished service to the community of Geelong through ongoing roles and contributions to a range of sports, business, religious, medical, educational and social welfare organisations.<ref>{{Cite It's an Honour |ausawardid=1150750 |date=26 January 2015 |recipient=Mr Francis Aloysius COSTA |award=Officer of the Order of Australia |postnominal=AO |citation=For distinguished service to the community of Geelong through ongoing roles and contributions to a range of sports, business, religious, medical, educational and social welfare organisations |postscript= |accessdate=26 January 2015 }}</ref> In 2001 Costa was also awarded the [[Centenary Medal]] for service to the Barwon community<ref>{{Cite It's an Honour |ausawardid=1120704 |date=1 January 2001 |recipient=Mr Frank Aloysius COSTA |award=Centenary Medal |postnominal= |citation=For service to the Barwon community |postscript= |accessdate=26 January 2015 }}</ref> and, in the same year, the [[Australian Sports Medal]] for services to Australian football.<ref>{{Cite It's an Honour |ausawardid=970170 |date=16 January 2001 |recipient=Mr Frank COSTA |award=Australian Sports Medal |postnominal= |citation=Services to Aust Football |postscript= |accessdate=26 January 2015 }}</ref>

=== Wealth rankings ===
{{columns-start}}
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2 | Year
! colspan=2 width=40% | ''[[The Australian Financial Review|Financial Review]]''<br/>[[Financial Review Rich List|Rich List]]
! colspan=2 width=40% | ''[[Forbes Asia|Forbes]]''<br/>[[List of Australians by net worth|Australia's 50 Richest]]
|-
! Rank
! [[Net worth]] ([[AUD|A$]])
! Rank
! {{nowrap|[[Net worth]] ([[USD|US$]])}}
|-
| 2017<ref name="afr2017">{{cite news |url=http://www.afr.com/leadership/afr-lists/rich-list/financial-review-rich-list-2017-20170525-gwcvr6 |editor=Stensholt, John |title=Financial Review Rich List 2017 |work=[[The Australian Financial Review]] |date=25 May 2017 |access-date=8 June 2017 }}</ref><ref name="crikey2017">{{cite news |url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/05/26/tmaynes-take-the-top-25-australian-billionaires-as-claimed-by-fairfax-media/ |author=Mayne, Stephen |author-link=Stephen Mayne |title=Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax |work=[[Crikey]] |publisher=Private Media |date=26 May 2017 |access-date=10 October 2019 }}</ref>
| align="center" |
| align="right"  | $538&nbsp;million {{gain}}
| align="center" | 
| align="right"  | 
|-
| 2018<ref name="afr2018">{{cite web|url=http://www.afr.com/brand/afr-magazine/rich-list-overview-20180413-h0yqo5|title=2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?|work=[[The Australian Financial Review]]|date=25 May 2018|editor=Stensholt, John|access-date=26 May 2018}}</ref>
| align="center" | {{nowrap|{{nts|127}} {{gain}}}}
| align="right"  | $655&nbsp;million {{gain}}
| align="center" | 
| align="right"  | 
|-

| 2019<ref name="afr2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.afr.com/rich-list/australia-s-10-wealthiest-people-revealed-20190529-p51sj0|title=Australia's 200 richest people revealed|work=[[The Australian Financial Review]] |publisher=Nine Publishing|date=30 May 2019|last=Bailey|first=Michael|access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref>
| align="center" | {{nowrap|{{nts|118}} {{gain}}}}
| align="right"  | $802&nbsp;million {{gain}}
| align="center" | 
| align="right"  | 
|-
| 2020<ref name="afr2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.afr.com/rich-list/the-10-richest-australians-revealed-20201028-p569c7|url-access=subscription|title=The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed|work=[[The Australian Financial Review]]|publisher=Nine Publishing|date=30 October 2020|author1=Bailey, Michael|author2=Sprague, Julie-anne|access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref> 
| align="center" | {{nowrap|{{nts|132}} {{decrease}}}}
| align="right"  | $770&nbsp;million {{decrease}}
| align="center" | 
| align="right"  | 
|}

{{column}}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|<small>Legend</small>
|-
!<small> Icon</small>
!<small> Description</small>
|-
|{{steady}}
|<small>Has not changed from the previous year</small>
|-
|{{profit}}
|<small>Has increased from the previous year</small>
|-
|{{loss}}
|<small>Has decreased from the previous year</small>
|}
{{columns-end}}

Following Costa's death in 2021, his net worth was generally reported in the name of his surviving wife, Shirley, and family.<ref name="death">{{cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Peter |last2=Ractliffe |first2=Damien |title=Geelong mourn the death of local legend Frank Costa |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/geelong-mourns-the-death-of-local-legend-frank-costa-20210429-p57ndq.html |access-date=2 May 2021 |work=[[The Age]] |date=2 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="afr2021">{{cite news |author1=Bailey, Michael |author2=Sprague, Julie-anne |url=https://www.afr.com/rich-list/australia-s-10-richest-people-revealed-20210526-p57vfr |title=The 200 richest people in Australia revealed |work=[[Australian Financial Review]] |date=27 May 2021 |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref>

===Philanthropy===
According to a 2004 poll,{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} Costa held first place on the list of the region's "Movers and Shakers"''.'' The same year saw Costa (out of frustration{{weasel inline|date=November 2020}}) publicly urge the authorities{{which|date=November 2020|which authorities?}} to keep its promise of developing a [[recycling]] and [[irrigation]] facility in the [[Werribee]] region.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

Costa was Patron of the Geelong Volunteer Resource Centre and the Geelong Volunteering Network, and academy ambassador for [[Surf Coast FC]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.surfcoastfc.com/scfc-academy |title=Surf Coast FC &#124; Football Club &#124; Torquay |access-date=30 August 2019 |archive-date=30 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830040620/https://www.surfcoastfc.com/scfc-academy |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://gfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=board Frank Costa profile] from the Official Website of the [[Australian Football League]]
*[http://www.costas.com.au/ Costa Group of Companies]
*[http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/content/2003/s802063.htm Frank dominates the fruit game] Transcript of story on Frank Costa, from [[abc.net.au]] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040512005911/http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/content/2003/s802063.htm |date=12 May 2004 }}
*[http://www.austadiums.com/news/news.php?id=212 Geelong's mini MCG]

{{S-start}}
{{s-sport}}
{{Succession box
| title  = [[Geelong Football Club]] [[List of VFL/AFL presidents|president]]
| before = [[Ron Hovey]]
| after  = Colin Carter
| years  = 1998–2011}}
{{S-end}}

{{AFL Italian Team of the Century}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Frank}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Australian people of Sicilian descent]]
[[Category:Australian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Geelong Football Club administrators]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:People from Geelong]]
[[Category:People in food and agriculture occupations]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Victoria (state)]]